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TRAINING SCHOOL FOR ENTRANCE TO POLITICS
Editorial Note
In 1962, a resolution was moved by Prof. K. T. Shah in the Parliament whether there should be any formal qualifications for the members of Parliament and State Legislatures. The Members felt that there should be some minimum eduational qualifications. But such a prescription would deprive a large number of people from contesting. On this, Dr. Ambedkar, as Minister of Law, suggested that instead of any formal qualifications, the contestants should have knowledge ( Pradnya ) and Charater ( Sheel ) . Relevant extract of his speech is as follows :
“However, I suppose those who have supported his resolution have correctly interpreted his mind and taking into account the various speeches that have been made in support of Prof. Shah’s Resolution, it appears that many members who are keen about adding some qualification other than those mentioned in the Constitution have in their mind some kind of an educational qualification. But none of them has been very precise : none of them has given me any idea as to what is the standard of education that they would like to prescribe in order that the candidate may become lawfully entitled to stand.
Now it seems to me that education can hardly be the sole qualification for membership of this House. If I may use the words of Buddha, he said that man requires two things. One is Gyan and the other is Sheel. Gyan without Sheel is very dangerous : it must be accompanied by Sheel, by which we mean character, moral courage, ability to be independent of any kind of temptation, truthful to one’s ideals. I did not find any reference to the second qualification in the speeches I have heard from Members who have supported Prof. Shah. But even though I myself, am very keen to see that no Member enters this August Assembly, who does not possess Sheel in adequate degree, I find it extremely difficult to find any means or methods to ensure that valuable qualification.